


Scars

by H_Faith_Marr



Series: Blue Spirit AU [6]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Backstory, Burns, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Group Hugs, Memories, Mute Blue Spirit, Muteness, Past Child Abuse, Past Major Injury, Revelations, Scars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 08:47:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28597179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/H_Faith_Marr/pseuds/H_Faith_Marr
Summary: For the next few days after the festival, Blue is quieter than usual —which is saying something because Sokka has yet to hear him make a sound outside of his nightmares. But still, recently Blue’s silence has gone from unsettling touncanny.
Relationships: Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Blue Spirit AU [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1574527
Comments: 85
Kudos: 501





	Scars

**Author's Note:**

> Ha. Hahaha. Long time no see? 
> 
> In the time I’ve been gone, I have scrapped the prompt format and also reworked a lot of the plot and also might have possibly maybe been dragged into yet _another_ fandom except it’s minecraft roleplaying? and my favorite character is a really sad half-enderman child and I still don’t know how I feel about any of that (please send help the _angst_ aaaaaaa). 
> 
> But hey! More Blue Spirit! That’s good news right? Right?!

For the next few days after the festival, Blue is quieter than usual —which is saying something because Sokka has yet to hear him make a sound outside of his nightmares. But still, recently Blue’s silence has gone from unsettling to  _ uncanny _ .

If Sokka didn’t know better, he’d say he was plotting something. But he’s the Blue Spirit, right? He wouldn’t be planning anything nefarious.

...would he?

No, bad Sokka! Don’t be paranoid about your newest companion’s  _ admittedly pretty concerning _ mood. He’ll talk about it when he’s ready.

...or write about it. Whatever.

The  _ actual  _ problem is that Blue’s pensive attitude is affecting everyone else, and Sokka  _ really _ wants to know what the guy is thinking so hard about. Aang’s anxious fluttering and Katara’s overbearing mothering have each other in a feedback loop over Blue’s behavior too, and Sokka kinda doesn’t want to be in the middle of that either.

Which is why he is  _ completely nonchalantly _ making his way to Blue’s side of the fire now, determined to get to the bottom of this… whatever this is. He plops himself down next to the guy and studiously ignores the flinch at his sudden arrival, and he  _ especially _ ignores how he leans away as if he wants to move but is too polite to do so. The silence stretches, because  _ clearly  _ he doesn’t get that Sokka wants to talk.

“Sooooo…” Sokka starts because Blue won’t, then stops because really, what’s he going to say? 

Blue tilts his head towards him to indicate his attention, and Sokka decides to just skip the filler and blurt out, “What’s with the brooding… broodiness?”

Oh, spirits, strike him down now. This is horrible and embarrassing and if Blue doesn’t answer then Sokka can pretend this never happened, at least. Actually, yeah, can Blue just brush him off? That would be fantastic.

Except Blue picks up the slate resting at his side, uses his cool knife to edge a half-charred stick out of the fire, and doesn’t even bother waiting for it to cool before plucking it off the ground and scratching out (in surprisingly neat hand),  _ there’s something I want to share with you three but I’m not sure how to, _ neatly forcing Sokka to acknowledge his mistakes of social interaction but also distracting him from the embarrassment almost immediately. Isn’t that magical?

“Oh?” Sokka leans forward. “What kind of thing? A place? A story? A ridiculously delicious secret recipe?”

The last one should have at least earned a snort, but Blue only stares at the slate before rubbing out the words with his sleeve and replacing them with two simple words. Sokka tilts his head to read them.

_ A memory. _

Oh. Ouch. Okay, he can see how that would be tough. “Is there a specific reason you’re sharing? That might determine the method.”

Blue is still for a moment.  _ Gratitude, _ he writes finally.  _ And an explanation. _

“A difficult explanation?” Sokka guesses. It’s not a huge leap, considering where this guy came from and what he’s lived.

He nods once, still not looking up from the dark, dusty words.

Sokka thinks for a moment. “We could do a sort of Q and A?” he suggests carefully, gauging the other’s body language. “You can talk and we can ask questions for clarification so you don’t have to work yourself up too much trying to get it perfect.”

That makes him look up. He doesn’t move for a moment, studying him, then his shoulders loosen and he nods, which is what Sokka has decided is his version of a smile (because otherwise the guy can’t even smile at people and that’s just  _ sad— _ ).

“Do you want me to get the other’s now or do you want to wait until after dinner?”

_ Now, please _ , Blue scribbles out hurriedly, as if he’s worried he’d change his mind. ‘He’ being either of them, probably.

So Sokka gets up and moves to find the other two —probably practicing their bending— and thinks about what Blue might tell them tonight. Gratitude, he said. An explanation. Pretty heavy stuff there.

The others seem to agree because hardly a minute passes before they’re all sitting around the fire, trying not to look too invested while also dying a little inside from anticipation. Or that might just be Sokka, but whatever.

Blue shifts uncomfortably under the attention, but doesn’t back down. Charcoal still in hand, he starts writing, taking a few seconds before flipping the board around so they can read it.  _ I want to tell you all why I can’t speak to you. _

Katara smiles, gentle and encouraging. “You don’t have to, but thank you for trusting us.”

He shakes his head and roughly wipes the slate clean, scribbling something else.  _ I owe you an explanation at least. You haven’t asked anything yet, but I know you want to. _

The other three share a look. Aang bounces in place, wide-eyed and eager, and leans forward. “Okay, then! Go for it!”

Blue hesitates, head tilted as he stares at the slate, and his hand is slow and unsure as he begins. He wipes off a word once or twice before starting again, but eventually he let’s them read the small, cramped words squished to fit all together on the slate.  _ About three years ago, I spoke out against someone I shouldn’t have. I was supposed to fight to defend myself, but the person I was against… I couldn’t fight them. I refused. They taught me a harsh lesson about speaking out of turn, and now I can’t speak at all. _

“This person…” Aang trails off, but Blue seems to know what he’s asking and wipes the board again, starting over.

His answer to the unspoken question is short, seven words.  _ I was supposed to fight my father. _

Sokka… can’t even imagine fighting his father. There is not a single reason beyond maybe sparring or training that he can think of where he would ever fight him, and not seriously. And Blue said  _ three years ago _ right? He didn’t imagine that part? Blue’s  _ own father _ made him  _ fight him _ and then  _ stole his voice from him _ when he was just a  _ kid?! _

“How old were you?” a horrified voice asks, and it takes Sokka a moment to realize it’s his own.

Another short answer. _ Thirteen _ . 

He was  _ thirteen years old _ , just barely older than Aang, and  _ had his voice ripped away from him by his own father _ for, what, disagreeing with someone?! That is  _ so _ beyond messed up, it isn’t even funny.

“Oh, Blue…” Katara breathes, a hand hovering over her mouth in horror. “What did he  _ do _ to you?”

With a dawning sense of sick horror, Sokka watches Blue reach up to pull the collar of his suit down, mangled throat now on full display for them all to gawk at. The warped, reddened flesh looks  _ old _ and stiff and uncomfortable at best. It’s not hard to believe a wound like that rendered him mute. What  _ is _ a surprise is that he  _ survived _ it.

“What… Did he  _ burn _ you?” Aang’s high-pitched voice is incredulous, and Sokka can relate. That  _ definitely _ looks like it was done with fire.

Blue traces the edges of the burn with one hand and nods very slightly, stiff under their gazes but refusing to back down.

(The burn is in the shape of a hand, Sokka notes absently somewhere in the back of his mind, and shelves that thought for later. Even if he has a slight suspicion now as to why Blue continues to hide his face. The masked boy has just as much reason to hate fire as anyone else, after all, but a regular person wouldn’t see that if he  _ looks _ Fire. Sokka just supposes it’s a good thing the Gaang aren’t anywhere close to regular people.)

It takes longer than Sokka had been expecting, honestly, but Katara lunges straight across the fire for Blue, yanking him into a fierce hug before the other has even a second to react. He stiffens even more, if that’s possible, and actually stops breathing, so completely still that Sokka wonders for a second if his sister broke him.

Aang joins the hug a second later, ugly sobbing in empathy and horror. Blue looks over both of their heads to Sokka, something panicked and confused in how he holds himself. The tribesman just smiles with a shake of his head and joins the group hug from behind, surrounding their sad new friend in warmth and mentally cheering as Blue slowly (ever so slowly) melts into their embrace.

For right now, it’s cuddle-sad-and-probably-touch-starved-friend time. Though, later, he might need to talk to Katara and Aang about taking a side trip on their way to stopping the Fire Lord so they can deal with a certain horrible, awful person who deserves the wrath of Tui and La for what he’s done to their friend.

Still, that’s for later. Right now, Sokka slumps easily over Blue’s back and closes his eyes, focusing on the rise and fall of his breath, reminding himself that he’s  _ here _ and  _ alive _ and that means anything is possible.

Anything.

**Author's Note:**

> Sokka… Sokka why do you use so many italics. Why.


End file.
